how to not look jetlagged

I planned my recent trip to Paris less than a week in advance so I didn’t have much time in the way of preparation. My first priority was doing what I could to avoid jetlag since I was only there for a week – this meant trying to sleep on the plane there and stay awake on the return flight to adjust to each time zone. While that worked fine for my sleep schedule, I still landed back in New York with tired eyes and super-dull skin. If you’re back from a long-haul flight with the opposite of a post-vacation glow, start with these five tips for how to not look tired.

1. Use the right eye cream
The timing couldn’t have been better – I arrived home to a package from Clarins with their Multi-Active Eye. This eye cream is made to target all the signs of fatigue: puffiness, dullness, dark circles, fine lines. The metallic applicator is so cooling and soothing that I will sit there massaging it back and forth for a few minutes. It’s a refreshing cream-gel formula made with teasel extract to minimize fine lines, caffeine to diminish puffiness and dark circles and illuminating pigments to brighten skin and blur imperfections. Start with this to instantly combat visible tiredness – whether it’s jetlag or simply too many late nights in a row.

2. Drink water
Your first instinct may be to drink cup after cup of coffee – don’t! Start the day with a glass of water (bonus points if you add a lemon). Dehydration will make you look and feel more tired, so stick to one cup of coffee in the morning and guzzle more water instead. We should be drinking eight 8oz glasses of water every day, so you’ll need to up that to reduce signs of fatigue. Now, water is my favorite drink which I know is unusual so if you aren’t as inclined, try making your own flavored water with citrus or cucumbers, add emergen-c or drink tea.

3. Get moving
Take a walk. Take a workout class. Go outside. Exercise is often recommended on both legs of your journey to avoid jetlag because it helps to reset your body clock. Working up a sweat will also give you a nice glow so it can help appearances even if you aren’t feeling tired, so put on an upbeat playlist and go!

4. Apply brightening concealer
On top of Multi-Active Eye, a good concealer will make you look more awake by reducing redness and dullness. Use one a shade lighter than your skin to instantly brighten and highlight under the eyes and around the nose. Blend it in with your ring finger – the warmth of your skin helps it to blend seamlessly.

5. Download Entrain
If you have more time to plan, download Entrain from the app store. Just input your trip information and it will tell you when to avoid and seek light to start adjusting to the new time zone.

This post is sponsored by Clarins. As always, all reviews and opinions are my own.